Toowoomba Regional Council Deputy Mayor forced to clean up Flanagan's latest mess ...

Antonio mops up forecast blunder

30 April 2009

Deputy Mayor Paul Antonio was forced to mop up a gaffe the size of Cressbrook Dam yesterday.

The Courier-Mail yesterday quoted Toowoomba Regional Council engineer Kevin Flanagan predicting the city could run out of water if a pipeline from Wivenhoe Dam was delayed.

Cr Antonio yesterday said Mr Flanagan was misrepresented and assured worried residents that supplies won't run dry.

The damning forecast “we might run out of water” in the “touch and go” situation was not uttered by the council's top water official, he stressed.

“There has been a sensible contingency plan involving bore supplies put in place,” Cr Antonio said.

“I have absolute confidence we can continue supplying Toowoomba until the pipeline is flowing.”

Dam levels yesterday were at 9.6 per cent.

Cr Antonio said they would drop to five per cent by the time the Wivenhoe Dam supplies come online in March next year - if it doesn't rain.

The council is lobbying for extra money from the State Government to fund the pipeline which should ensure the region is drought-proof until 2050.

At the moment, the $187 million piece of infrastructure will cost the council $112 million with a $75 million shortfall made up by the state.

He said more funds were needed to avoid a capital drought.

“The best thing is if the government increases the level of subsidy,” he said.

Interestingly, Mr Flanagan was happy to talk to The Courier-Mail but could not accommodate a similar request from The Chronicle.

See - Antonio mops up forecast blunder.

When will the Toowoomba Regional Council learn and place a permanent media ban on this guy ...

New Toowoomba Regional Council CEO unfazed by task ahead ...

See - The Chronicle - New council CEO unfazed by task ahead.

CEO Ken Gouldthorp - "I intend to buy a house here (with wife Sarah) and treat this as a long-term career move."

Maybe he could buy former Mayor Di Thorley's house - on the market 21 months and counting ...

Toowoomba Regional Council's Kevin Flanagan - if it rains, we might run out of water ...

Courier Mail:

Toowoomba council engineer Kevin Flanagan said yesterday that if the pipeline was delayed by weather "we might run out of water".

See - Toowoomba dams almost dry.

So if it rains while the pipeline is built, we might run out of water ...

Toowoomba's GAB supplies - what Toowoomba Regional Council hides in their meeting minutes ...

Based on the results of the numerical modelling and the test pumping results to date, it is intended that extraction of 1,250ML/annum from each of the GAB bores will be targeted. This provides 5,000ML/annum production with four of the five bores operating on average throughout the year.

See - Toowoomba's GAB bores - the experience to date.

Toowoomba dams almost dry (don't ask about the GAB water) ...

Toowoomba dams almost dry

By Peter Morley
29 April 2009

Engineers are racing the clock to link Wivenhoe Dam with Toowoomba's water supply before the Darling Downs city runs dry.

More than 125,000 people in the Toowoomba region hope a $187 million pipeline from Wivenhoe to Cressbrook Dam will be their saviour.

The 38km link is due to be commissioned in January, easing the situation for residents on level 5 restrictions that limit individual daily use to 140 litres.

All outside use of hoses is banned to conserve dams which have fallen to 9.7 per cent of average capacity.

Although the Garden City is green after rain over Easter, Cressbrook, Cooby and Perseverance Creek dams have been drought-affected for nearly a decade.

Reticulated water is being supplemented from shallow bores and the Toowoomba Regional Council has sunk five artesian bores which, if required, will cost $17 million to commission.

Toowoomba council engineer Kevin Flanagan said yesterday that if the pipeline was delayed by weather "we might run out of water".

"At the moment it is going to be touch and go," he said.

The fallback position was to commission the artesian bores, only one of which was ready to pump water into the system.

Mr Flanagan said it was heartbreaking that the average capacity of Brisbane's dams had risen to nearly 60 per cent through rains "that will just not cross the (Great Dividing) range".

Mayor Peter Taylor said homeowners had done an "outstanding job" in limiting consumption.

The "big question" was how the city and surrounding areas, including Oakey, Jondaryan, Westbrook and Highfields could pay for the pipeline.

The Government will provide $75 million and ratepayers will have to pick up the additional $112 million.

Cr Taylor said he had spoken to Premier Anna Bligh about a higher subsidy when Cabinet met at Highfields on Monday.

Ms Bligh said that 10 per cent of the pipeline was completed and daily progress was about 350m.

"The rest of southeast Queensland has had some good rain, but we have not forgotten Toowoomba's dams are under 10 per cent and the situation remains dire," she said.

See - Courier Mail - Toowoomba dams almost dry.

Sydney goes 100% dual pipe recycled water ...

Or has it?

Australia has also changed its policies, with a range of new measures. Restrictions have been introduced - on watering gardens, washing cars, filling swimming pools, etc - in the country's major cities. In Sydney, a dual water supply was introduced in 2008 - one for drinking water, another for other uses, which draws on recycled water.

See - Crucial role of water in development.

While some dual (purple) pipe recycled water has been introduced into Sydney (See - the Rouse Hill Recycled Water Scheme - covering 18,000 homes), this article implies the system is Sydney-wide.  Which it isn't ...

Noblewater - delivering clean water - goes broke ...

Noblewater is a leading provider of water treatment products and services solutions for the Australasian region. Our expertise and capabilities are world class and this enables us to assist our customers with water treatment solutions for sewage, waste water reclamation to high purity water production for food and pharmaceutical applications.

See - Noblewater.

Noblewater appoints external administrator

Water-systems provider Noblewater entered external administration on April 24, according to Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) records.

The Brisbane-based company was formed through an amalgamation of seven smaller water-technologies and supply companies specialising in waste-water treatment plants, water purification plants, de-salination units, ozone plants, water filter supplies, water softeners and deionization units.

Venture capital group NBC Capital invested in the company in 2005 through its $99 million ‘NBC Fund II’. Other investments included Australian Water Systems – an amalgamation of water tanks manufacturing companies, Clark Tanks and Tanks Direct, Eagle Boys Pizza, fresh fruit and vegetable producer Withcott Seedlings and transport and logistics company Troncs.

See - Qld Business Review - Noblewater appoints external administrator.

Coal seam gas - Jobs boom in SW Qld energy sector ...

There are more jobs than people available in Queensland's booming energy sector in the Surat Basin in the state's southern inland.

Coal seam gas, underground coal gasification projects and open-cut coal mining are being developed across the region from Toowoomba and Dalby out to Roma, Moonie and Chinchilla.

See ABC News - Jobs boom in SW Qld energy sector.

Florida USA - From golf courses to brewers, businesses cut water use ...

See - Tampa Bay Online - From golf courses to brewers, businesses cut water use.

San Diego County Water Authority - Recycled water survey results ...

Countywide Survey Shows High Levels of Awareness, Support for Water Conservation Poll also finds significant backing for desalination, adding recycled water to drinking supplies.

See - San Diego County Water Authority - News Release.

NSW Government - Water for Life ...

Currently, the best opportunity for large scale water recycling is in new suburbs where recycled water pipelines can be constructed at the same time as drinking water mains. This is often referred to as dual reticulation, meaning two sets of pipes - one for drinking water and one for recycled water.

Already Sydney has Australia’s largest residential recycled scheme at Rouse Hill. In addition to this, homes are also being serviced by dual reticulation at Homebush Bay and two new schemes are under construction at Hoxton Park and Ropes Crossing at St Marys.

As part of the 2006 Metropolitan Water Plan, the Western Sydney Recycled Water Initiative will also provide recycled water via dual reticulation to all 160,000 new homes in western Sydney's new suburbs, as well as for agriculture, industry and putting water back into rivers.

See - NSW Government - Water for Life.

Anna Bligh double standard - Minister for Drink Driving Karen Struthers' Dept advisor sacked for same offence ...

Bligh Government adviser sacked for drink driving

22 April 2009

A senior staffer of newly-appointed Minister Karen Struthers was caught drink driving in a Government vehicle late last night and has been sacked.

Principal adviser Lee Norris was allegedly caught with a blood alcohol level of 0.14 percent - an almost identical reading to that which Ms Struthers recorded when she was caught over the limit while driving a government car in 2007.

Premier Anna Bligh this morning announced Mr Norris's employment had been terminated, however Ms Bligh denied there was a double standard given Ms Struthers faced no such consequence.
...

In 2007, Ms Struthers was caught with a blood alcohol level of 0.169 while driving a government vehicle.

See - Courier Mail - Bligh Government adviser sacked for drink driving.

It is alleged his BAC was 0.14 per cent.

She was convicted with a BAC of 0.169 per cent.

No double standard here ...

Planet doomsayers need a cold shower ...

Planet doomsayers need a cold shower
Miranda Devine
18 April 2009

The global warming scare campaign is reaching fever pitch. We have had one eminent Australian scientist claim this week to the senate inquiry on climate policy that global warming has already killed people in Australia.

We have had another four CSIRO scientists at the inquiry arguing for Australian emissions reduction targets up to six times greater than planned, 90 per cent by 2050, and warning of catastrophic consequences otherwise.

We have also had the Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, agree on ABC's Lateline program this month that sea levels would rise as much as six metres due to human-caused global warming this century. Yet even the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body dedicated to discovering evidence of human-caused climate change, forecasts less than half a metre rise in the century to 2090.

It seems that when it comes to convincing the Government to take drastic, jobs-killing, economy-crushing and ultimately futile unilateral action on climate change, the ends justify the means. "How we get there matters much less than the fact that [emissions] are very low by 2050," CSIRO's Dr Michael Raupach, told the inquiry.

While debating with a National Party senator the wisdom of imposing reductions of carbon dioxide emissions, the University of Melbourne's Professor David Karoly declared: "Loss of jobs is important but loss of life is really important".

True enough, but where is the evidence that climate change has killed a single Australian? More to the point, since Australia accounts for just 1.4 per cent of global emissions, even if we shut down all industry and move into caves, how would any theoretical effect on climate be more than negligible?

There is no doubting the passion and intelligence of these scientists and many of their colleagues in the climate change movement in advocating the cause of eliminating so-called "carbon pollution" to save the planet. But the tactics are not very scientific.
...

For the full article see - Sydney Morning Herald - Planet doomsayers need a cold shower.

Global warming - Antarctic ice growing, not shrinking ...

Revealed: Antarctic ice growing, not shrinking

18 April 2009

Ice is expanding in much of Antarctica, contrary to the widespread public belief that global warming is melting the continental ice cap.

The results of ice-core drilling and sea ice monitoring indicate there is no large-scale melting of ice over most of Antarctica, although experts are concerned at ice losses on the continent's western coast.

Antarctica has 90 per cent of the Earth's ice and 80 per cent of its fresh water. Extensive melting of Antarctic ice sheets would be required to raise sea levels substantially, and ice is melting in parts of west Antarctica. The destabilisation of the Wilkins ice shelf generated international headlines this month.

However, the picture is very different in east Antarctica, which includes the territory claimed by Australia.

East Antarctica is four times the size of west Antarctica and parts of it are cooling. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research report prepared for last week's meeting of Antarctic Treaty nations in Washington noted the South Pole had shown "significant cooling in recent decades".

Australian Antarctic Division glaciology program head Ian Allison said sea ice losses in west Antarctica over the past 30 years had been more than offset by increases in the Ross Sea region, just one sector of east Antarctica.

"Sea ice conditions have remained stable in Antarctica generally," Dr Allison said.

The melting of sea ice -- fast ice and pack ice -- does not cause sea levels to rise because the ice is in the water. Sea levels may rise with losses from freshwater ice sheets on the polar caps. In Antarctica, these losses are in the form of icebergs calved from ice shelves formed by glacial movements on the mainland.

Last week, federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said experts predicted sea level rises of up to 6m from Antarctic melting by 2100, but the worst case scenario foreshadowed by the SCAR report was a 1.25m rise.

Mr Garrett insisted global warming was causing ice losses throughout Antarctica. "I don't think there's any doubt it is contributing to what we've seen both on the Wilkins shelf and more generally in Antarctica," he said.

Dr Allison said there was not any evidence of significant change in the mass of ice shelves in east Antarctica nor any indication that its ice cap was melting. "The only significant calvings in Antarctica have been in the west," he said. And he cautioned that calvings of the magnitude seen recently in west Antarctica might not be unusual.

"Ice shelves in general have episodic carvings and there can be large icebergs breaking off -- I'm talking 100km or 200km long -- every 10 or 20 or 50 years."

Ice core drilling in the fast ice off Australia's Davis Station in East Antarctica by the Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-Operative Research Centre shows that last year, the ice had a maximum thickness of 1.89m, its densest in 10 years. The average thickness of the ice at Davis since the 1950s is 1.67m.

A paper to be published soon by the British Antarctic Survey in the journal Geophysical Research Letters is expected to confirm that over the past 30 years, the area of sea ice around the continent has expanded.

See - The Australian - Revealed: Antarctic ice growing, not shrinking.

New SEQ water formula: 60% + 6 months ...

New SEQ water formula: 60% + 6 months

19 April 2009

South-East Queensland residents could face a six-month wait to enjoy another easing in water restrictions, even if the region's dam levels reach the 60 per cent trigger long touted as marking the end of the drought.

Six urban areas, including Brisbane, Ipswich and Logan, moved from high to medium level restrictions a week ago after rain pushed combined dam levels above 50 per cent capacity.

Less than 1 per cent stands between the current dam levels and 60 per cent capacity - the benchmark for declaring an end to the region's eight-year drought.

The areas affected by stringent water restrictions were expected to move to the Queensland Water Commission's lowest level when the Wivenhoe, Somerset and North Pine combined dam level reached this trigger point.

However, the State Government is now pressuring the water commission to wait at least six months after the 60 per cent target is reached to drop the region to "permanent water conservation measures".

The anticipated move to low-level restrictions would increase the 200 litre-per-person-per-day usage limit, introduced under the current medium level restrictions, to 230 litres.

It would remove most of the tough hosing rules, shifting the focus from stringent restrictions to simply limiting outdoor usage during the hottest parts of the day.

However, people are still using less than 130 litres of water per person a day - harking back to the Target 130 limit in place under the high-level restrictions in place in recent years.

Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson said the latest easing in water restrictions occurred only last week, and decision makers should learn lessons from the past.

"If we have learnt anything from the last four years of restrictions it is how precious a resource water is," he said in a statement, issued this morning.

"With dams hovering close to the 60 per cent trigger mark, another easing of water restrictions appears imminent."

Mr Robertson said he felt it was still too early to tell how the recent relaxing of restrictions would affect water consumption.

"I met with the Queensland Water Commissioner Elizabeth Nosworthy on Friday requesting the Commission give consideration to maintaining current restrictions for six months if the dams reach 60 per cent capacity," he said.

"We need to remember that it was only about a year and a half ago in August 2007, that the combined levels in the dams were at the lowest levels at just 16.7 per cent.

"We don't know if the current good rain in SEQ will continue in the long term and I think we all need to be conscious of not unnecessarily wasting our water during the good times in case the dry times return."

Mr Robertson said the water commission would make its own decision on whether to accept his suggestion.

The Sunshine Coast and Redland City, which have been separate from the Queensland Water Commission restrictions because of their historically independent water supplies, are due to move onto the regional restrictions on July 1.

Redland City Council has been advising residents to get ready for medium-level restrictions.

See - Brisbane Times - New SEQ water formula: 60% + 6 months.

As we all know, the QWC will do exactly as Anna Bligh wants.  It's the left hand of the Qld Labor government telling the right hand of the Qld Labor government what to do.

The sooner Anna Bligh realises that we understand the farce of using the QWC for cover, the sooner she can send Elizabeth Nosworthy to the corporate knackery and Qld can save some money on her salary ...

Sydney's Kurnell desalination plant nears completion ...

Four years after former NSW premier Bob Carr announced plans to build it to drought-proof Sydney, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the project is on track to begin operating this summer.

At full capacity, it will supply 15 per cent of Sydney's water supplies each year.

Water will be sucked from the sea and cleansed of salt by a process that is so thorough the result will be too pure to be piped straight into the existing system.

As a result, the operation will include another step where vital elements and minerals are added back into the finished product so it matches the existing water supply.

The desalination plant, dubbed Sydney's water factory by workers there, is now 80 per cent complete. Testing is due to begin in June.

It comprises a maze of underground and deep-sea tunnels connected to a filtration plant.

The final links are an 18km pipeline which will connect the plant to Sydney's water supply at Erskineville, which is one-third built, and an 8km deep-sea pipe, construction of which is due to begin this week.
...

See - Sunday Telegraph - Wraps off Sydney's desalination plant.

SEQ water grid - Corrosion hits desal plant ...

Corrosion hits Tugun desalination plant

19 April 2009

Just two months after the taps were finally turned on, the State Government's $1.2 billion desalination plant will be shut down for five weeks for repairs.

The plant at Tugun on the Gold Coast has been besieged with problems, and is still months away from being officially handed over to Water Secure - the government body that will own and run it.

Infrastructure and Planning Minister Stirling Hinchliffe confirmed the plant will shut down from late this month for "scheduled repair work", and dismissed claims it is an expensive white elephant.

"The planned shutdown in late April will go ahead, to carry out work such as the replacement of corroded couplings," Mr Hinchliffe said.

"There is also other ongoing work as previously announced, including the progressive replacement of water valves by the supplier.

"Water Secure will not take delivery of the plant until all these issues are fixed. This is about protecting taxpayers' dollars - now and in the future."

The plant was supposed to be pumping 125 megalitres a day of water into the southeast Queensland water grid by January 15, but that did not happen until March 9.

Premier Anna Bligh was featured on the cover of a national engineering magazine this year, supposedly tasting water from the opened plant last November. Water did not enter the drinking system until three months later.

Natural Resources Minister Stephen Robertson yesterday was forced to defend claims the plant had "mysteriously" stopped pumping last week as dam levels neared 60 per cent.

He said the halt on Thursday was for "just scheduled maintenance".

"There is no drama here, nothing significant here," he said, noting it was back at 33 per cent capacity yesterday.

"Desalinated water costs more than water that comes from the sky and into our dams," Mr Robertson said.

"To run the desalination plant more than you need to would result in an increase in the price of water, which is not in the public interest."

He said it would run closer to full capacity as the high Hinze Dam level dropped.

Water is being let out of the Hinze, and into the water grid, so work can begin on raising the dam wall.

LNP Leader John-Paul Langbroek said the Government had serious questions to answer about how the water grid was being run.

"It beggars belief that we can spend so much and get so little for it ... it just does not stack up," he said.

Despite the ongoing problems, Mr Hinchliffe said the project had been a success, supplying more than three billion litres of water to the southeast grid since late February.

"This is the largest desalination plant built on the east coast of Australia, so some teething pains are to be expected," he said.

See - Sunday Mail - Desal plant shelved.

SEQ water grid - Gold Coast desal plant shutdown to keep Brisbane dams below 60% ...

Coast's great water rort

April 18 2009

The Tugun desalination plant has mysteriously stopped pumping just as the combined dam level of southeast Queensland nears 60 per cent - the trigger needed to end the drought.

Less than a month ago the plant was pumping almost 120ML of water a day.

However, records sighted by The Weekend Bulletin yesterday show output has been steadily declining and stopped completely on Thursday.

The combined water level in southeast Queensland dams was 59.09 per cent yesterday. If it hits 60 per cent, the drought will be over and crippling water restrictions which have been in place for years will have to be eased.

Officers from the SEQ Water Grid Manager made the call to turn the taps off at the desalination plant.

Hundreds of megalitres of 'clean' water has also been dumped from the overflowing Hinze Dam after workers opened a scour valve to allow them to keep their schedule to raise the dam wall by 15m.

Mayor Ron Clarke and Queensland Opposition leader John-Paul Langbroek last night dubbed the billion-dollar southeast Queensland water grid a 'swindle' after revelations water was not being pumped north to bump the Brisbane combined dams to 60 per cent of capacity.

Recent rainfall has left southeast Queensland dams agonisingly short of the magic 60 per cent mark that would allow Premier Anna Bligh to officially declare an end to the drought.

Early yesterday, an SEQ Water spokesman reported that despite massive rainfall across the region it would be 'unlikely' that the 60 per cent figure would be reached.

"But I think we can say that those inflows we've had from the recent rain are really starting to fall away quite rapidly," he said.

"If it does come, it will come in a trickle."

Cr Clarke said he was suspicious about the use of the water grid, especially with copious amounts of water being wasted on the Gold Coast.

"They've got this desalination plant and it's operating up to 125ML a day," said Cr Clarke.

"Over the last two weeks it has been operating at a very low level of around about 20ML.

"Then all of a sudden it came down to zero."

The $1.18 billion desalination plant began operating in late February.

Mr Langbroek said the 'white elephant' plant should be operating at full capacity.

"Some serious questions have been asked about how the water grid is being run," said Mr Langbroek.

"Billions of dollars have been spent on the grid, which we were told by Peter Beattie and Anna Bligh that we so desperately needed.

"To think that they would not use the desalination plant and harness natural resources from Hinze Dam is mind boggling."

A SEQ Water Grid Manager spokeswoman told The Weekend Bulletin that the Water Grid Manager had decided to decrease output from the desalination plant.

"In early April, the Water Grid Manager requested that the Gold Coast desalination plant operate at 33 per cent," she said.

The spokeswoman also confirmed water could be pumped from the Hinze Dam to Brisbane, Logan and Ipswich homes and businesses to conserve water in the three major Brisbane dams.

Sources have told The Weekend Bulletin the pipelines have not been pumping excess water being currently being wasted over the spillway.

There are five major water bodies created to oversee the SEQ water grid.

Hundreds of bureaucrats work for the Queensland Water Commission, SEQ Water, WaterSecure, the SEQ Water Grid Manager and Linkwater.

Mermaid Waters MP Ray Stevens said the bodies were used by the State Government to tweak figures and justify the existence of the water infrastructure.

"They would clearly like to see the level remain under 60 per cent so they can justify their billion-dollar grid as well as the Traveston Crossing Dam they want to build," said Mr Stevens.

If levels reach 60 per cent permanent conservation measures that allow gardens and lawns to be watered within certain hours daily except Mondays will be introduced.

The three Brisbane dams were last full in 2001.

See - GoldCoast.com.au - Gold Coast desal plant shutdown.

It will be interesting if Anna Bligh's plan is to run the desal plant so that Brisbane's combined dam levels stay close to 60% ...

Humphrey B. Bear takes control of BrisConnections ...

BrisConnections faces a nightmarish cash hunt for investors who have transferred their units into false names — including one who allegedly used the moniker "Humphrey B Bear".

Others have transferred units into the names of people living overseas.

All registered holders of BrisConnections units on April 22 must pay a $1 instalment to the company for every unit they own, due on April 29.

To avoid that payment a number of BrisConnections unit holders have used the off-market share transfer system to shift ownership into false names.

In November last year the Herald highlighted a serious flaw in the off-market transfer system that allows shares to be held in false names, by buying a share in a listed company in the name of a pet budgie named Mr Bud Gerigar.

See - Sydney Morning Herald - BrisCon forced into bear hunt.

Wonder if anyone transferred the units to "Anna Bligh" ...

Brisbane dam level update ...

Now at 58.85%.

See - Brisbane dam levels.

Brisbane dam levels at 57.91% ....

See - Brisbane Dam Levels.

Once again, for those searching ...

Anna Bligh - 1 degree of separation from Nicholas Bolton's BrisConnections payoff ...

Readers will remember that Anna Bligh got into a spot of bother by putting her feet up on holidays in Sydney at the rather comfortable home of former Federal ALP Minister Ros 'white board' Kelly.

It was all above board and innocent and Anna only reluctantly agreed to disclose her stay in the Parliamentary Register of Members' Interests.

She said it was all work - watering the plants and walking the dog.

The problem arise because Ros Kelly nowadays is a director of Theiss who were awarded the contract for the BrisConnections tunnel work - not long after Anna's holiday stay - no connection though.

Times have moved on and the BrisConnections project got itself in a pickle over its partly-paid units with Melbourne-based Nicholas Bolton acquiring 77 million odd units and threatening to wind up the Trust.

It's unclear if this could have been achieved but he did create headaches for everyone involved, including Anna Bligh (as well as Trevor Rowe and QIC), by winning round one of the court battle and bloodying the noses of the BrisConnections board which includes the odd Brisbane business heavyweight.

So it was interesting to note that Mr Bolton had sold his voting rights to an unincorporated joint venture between Theiss Pty Ltd and John Holland Pty Ltd for $4.5 million (about 5.81 cents per unit).

The windup resolution was easily defeated.

Expect the underwriters to now finalise an agreement to forgo pursuing unitholders for the next $1.00 payment and the unitholders to forfeit their units.  Mr Bolton gets his greenmail payout (less costs, tax and any amount owed to any financial backers) and the other shareholders get off the hook.  

BrisConnections ends up privatised.  And the financing package remains in place.

Trevor Rowe and the QIC get to bury their open financial sore from public view. (You will recall they turned a $30 million investment of Qld superannuation funds into $30,000.)

And Anna Bligh doesn't have to dig deep into the State's empty coffers to somehow fund the whole project.

So Anna's off the hook and all it cost so far was $4.5 million.  And it wasn't even government money.

Next time Anna Bligh stays at Ros Kelly's house in Sydney, they'll probably laugh at how cheaply they managed to sweep this problem under the carpet ...

Brisbane dam levels at 55.32% ....

See - Brisbane Dam Levels.

For those searching ...

SEQ farmers say they are being left out of recycled water scheme ...

Ipswich district farmers have begged the government not to forget them in the water debate.

Linton Brimblecombe of the Lockyer Valley Water Users Forum said farmers had been “left out in the cold” in the long-awaited recycled water scheme.

“We're bitterly disappointed with the government's treatment of farmers,” Mr Brimblecombe said.

“There seems to be political will on infrastructure but not in the area of food production.

“I think they're pricing farmers out of the recycled water scheme.”

Scenic Rim Regional Council Mayor John Brent said it was time to “turn our attention to the water for food community”.

“There hasn't been equity in decision-making to this stage. I would have thought we should look at the urban communities and the rural communities as one decision,” Cr Brent said.

“We're looking for some courageous decisions to be made so there aren't two classes of water users: urban and rural. We seem to have forgotten the need for water for food.

“When you suggest farmers pay as much for water as urban users, that's a ridiculous notion.

New LNP leader John-Paul Langbroek added his voice to the debate saying: “People in the Lockyer Valley would really appreciate that recycled water be priced for rural people not just industry.”

See - Qld Times - More water?  No thanks.

Anna Bligh's Wild Rivers payoff to the Greens for preferences ...

On Friday last week, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh effectively announced the gazettal of 13 rivers in Cape York Peninsula under the Wild Rivers Act, restricting the opportunity for local Aborigines to develop river areas for purposes such as farming and tourism, although claiming publicly that only three had been gazetted.

As 13 rivers are involved, the native owners of these areas and the public are liable to be misled by the Premier's press release: "Ms Bligh said the three rivers in Cape York Peninsula had been gazetted following approval by the Governor, Penelope Wesley ... the Archer, Lockhart and Stewart rivers have now been declared as wild river areas."

What appears to be an act in keeping with government commitments to river conservation in fact affects Aboriginal assets extending to 13 rivers in the basins and catchments of the three named rivers, and includes "high preservation zones".

The wild rivers declarations cover 19,000sqkm, mainly indigenous freehold land. In other words, vast areas of land that were not part of the original proposal for these rivers have been added. This sudden announcement was a shock to the Aboriginal owners of these areas.
...

The gazettal of 13 rivers under the Wild Rivers Act was, I believe, a last-minute, backroom deal between the team lead by Bligh and adviser Mike Kaiser, and the Wilderness Society. The Queensland public has also been misled about this matter. These gazettals could be seen as a pay-off by the Labor Government to the greens who delivered them preferences and seats. For the Wilderness Society's urban-based ideologues, the gazettals are prized acquisitions, easy pickings from the Aborigines.

See - The Australian - Bligh's callous land grab.

Wivenhoe - Toowoomba water pipeline map ...

See it here - Toowoomba Pipeline.

SEQ water grid - Wivenhoe pipeline commenced ...

Laying down the city's water future

9 April 2009

Toowoomba Regional Councillor Paul Antonio said the start of work on the Toowoomba Pipeline signals the start of Toowoomba's positive “water future”.

Workers have completed more than 1100 metres of the pipeline and have 37 kilometres to go on the $187 million project.

As the council's water services portfolio chairman, Cr Antonio said the pipeline was the obvious solution, considering the levels of the dams supplying Toowoomba were below 10 per cent.

“It will provide us with a lot of water. Naturally, I'm quite happy about it,” he said.

“No doubt the pipeline from Wivenhoe is a part of Toowoomba's future, an important part of Toowoomba's water future,” he said.

Minister for Infrastructure and Planning Stirling Hinchliffe said construction had started on rural land west of Esk.

“The 140 construction workers who now have jobs on this project are going flat out and the first of more than 3000 pieces of pipe are in the ground,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

Toowoomba North MP Kerry Shine said the pipeline was critical to supply the Garden City with water.

“It will provide a secure water supply for the estimated 120,000 people who rely on the Cooby, Perseverance and Cressbrook dams,” he said.

The pipeline will supply 14,200 million litres of water a year if needed which is more than 50% more than Toowoomba's current demand.

Cr Antonio said Toowoomba residents still needed to be vigilant with saving water.

He believed most residents would accept they would have to pay more for water in the future to meet the expense of the project.

“The water prices will go up but at the same time Toowoomba Regional Council will be focused on subsidising water saving devices and tanks,” Cr Antonio said.

He said the council would also try to get the State Government to reinstate subsides for rainwater tanks.

See - The Chronicle - Laying down the city's water future.

SEQ water grid - An overview of Australia's first water market ...

An overview of Australia's first water market

8 April 2009

The establishment the South East Queensland Water Market, the first of its kind in Australia, is an important step in securing a safe ongoing supply of drinking water for South East Queensland.

The Water Market, which integrates the regulatory provisions for recycled water and drinking water, commenced operation on 1 July 2008. It is a part of the reform of water usage and management in South East Queensland (SEQ) and provides for the usage of the Water Grid, which includes dams, bores, water treatment plants, pipeline infrastructure, a desalination plant and the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme, to move water around the SEQ region.

How the Water Market works

A statutory authority, the Water Grid Manager, manages the Water Market. Three new statutory authorities responsible respectively for the supply, transportation, production of manufactured water (purified recycled water and desalinated water) supply their services to the Water Grid Manager. The Water Grid Manager sells water to each of the 10 local governments and three power stations in the SEQ region. Manufactured water may in the future be released into Wivenhoe Dam (the major source of water for Brisbane and surrounding areas) to augment drinking water supplies.

Regulatory framework

The Water Market was established under Part 5A of Chapter 2A of the Water Act 2000 (Qld) (Water Act). The Water Act also provides a process for declaration of ‘services’ which then form part of the Water Grid, Ministerial power to make Market Rules governing the operation of the Water Market and, for a defined period, Grid Contracts between the Water Grid Manager and grid participants.

The Water Supply (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008 (Qld) (WSSR Act) also underpins the Water Market. The WSSR Act incorporates the existing regulatory framework for water service providers and dam safety in Queensland (replacing the provisions formerly in Chapter 3 of the Water Act) and introduces new regulatory frameworks for recycled water and drinking water which are designed to protect public health. These new regulatory frameworks are supported by amendments to the Public Health Act 2005 (Qld) (Public Health Act) and the Plumbing and Drainage Act 2002 (Qld).

The Department of Environment and Resource Management administers the WSSR Act through the Office of the Water Supply Regulator.

Water quality

The new drinking water provisions regulate Queensland’s town water supplies to ensure they are safe. Queensland Health has set water quality standards for drinking water and certain uses of recycled water which are set out in the Public Health Regulation 2005 (Qld).

Drinking water service providers and recycled water providers must comply with the quality requirements set under the WSSR Act and the Public Health Act. The supply of unsafe drinking water or recycled water that is not fit for use is an offence under the Public Health Act for which significant penalties apply including up to two years imprisonment.

The drinking water quality management requirements under the WSSR Act are being phased in. In stage 1, until a drinking water service provider’s drinking water quality management plan is approved, each service provider must comply with quality monitoring and reporting requirements notified by the former Department of Natural Resources and Water. These quality monitoring and reporting requirements commenced on 2 January 2009 and provide for information gathering which will form the basis for drafting (and assessing) drinking water quality management plans.

Stage 2 provides for drinking water quality management plans to be prepared by large service providers (with over 25,000 connections) by 1 July 2011, by medium service providers (5,000 - 20,000 connections) by 1 July 2012 and by small service providers (less than 5,000 connections) by 1 July 2013.

Similarly, recycled water providers must prepare a recycled water management plan which identifies hazards and strategies for managing those hazards. A recycled water provider must also prepare a validation program which sets out how the recycled water provider’s infrastructure will be tested to show the quality of the recycled water will consistently meet the water quality criteria and proves how effective the control measures are in reducing the population risk. A range of deadlines apply for preparation of recycled water management plans depending on the use of the recycled water and date of commencement of operation of the relevant plant.

More reform to come

Further planned reforms include establishing by 1 July 2010:

- a single Distribution Entity owned by SEQ local governments which will own the water and sewerage reticulation pipes, reservoirs, pumps and sewage treatment plants and supply water and sewerage disposal services to SEQ households and businesses

- Retail Entities owned by SEQ local governments which will sell water to SEQ households and businesses.

The reform agenda also includes developing third party access regimes for bulk water treatment and transport assets, which is anticipated to provide opportunities for alternative supply options and a basis for potential competition in the retailing of water and wastewater services in the future.

See - Minter Ellison - An overview of Australia's first water market.

Next stop - privatisation to plug holes in Qld's balance sheet.

Anna Bligh's QWC labelled despicable and reckless over hospital waste issue ...

University of Sydney's Ray Kearney: "It is despicable and reckless for a government authority to behave in ways that put the interests of public safety below the political interests of a government," he said. "The public has a right to be well informed about these issues."

Professor Kearney said he was appalled by the conduct of both the water commission and Queensland Health, which has refused to make public its audit report.

See - The Australian - 'Body tissue' risk in Queensland recycled water.

SEQ recycled water and Anna Bligh - 'Body tissue' risk in Queensland recycled water ...

'Body tissue' risk in Queensland recycled water

Greg Roberts | April 09, 2009

Article from: The Australian

A leading authority on infectious diseases has called on the Bligh Government to reduce the dam level that would trigger the pumping of recycled water to southeast Queensland storages from 40 per cent to 10 per cent, claiming it would be difficult to prevent blood and body tissue being recycled as drinking water.

The University of Sydney's Ray Kearney hit out at the Queensland Water Commission for falsely claiming that hospital waste approvals were in place when the Government planned to add the effluent to drinking water supplies in February.

The Government postponed the plan after concerns were raised by microbiologists about the safety of the screening process, but it will be implemented when dam levels fall from their present 50 per cent to 40 per cent.

The Queensland Water Commission has repeatedly asserted that hospital wastes such as blood and cancer drugs would not be recycled as drinking water because strict approvals were in place at hospitals.

The Australian reported this week that a Queensland Health audit discovered that four major hospitals in Brisbane and Ipswich had faulty or no approvals.

Professor Kearney said he was appalled by the conduct of both the water commission and Queensland Health, which has refused to make public its audit report.

"It is despicable and reckless for a government authority to behave in ways that put the interests of public safety below the political interests of a government," he said. "The public has a right to be well informed about these issues."

Professor Kearney said the 40 per cent threshold for adding recycled water to dams was too high and should be reduced to 10 per cent or lower.

"Recycled water really should be an option of last resort, and it seems to me that if you've got dams 40 per cent or 50 per cent full, you are not in a last-resort situation."

The Queensland Water Commission declined to comment on whether it had established that the necessary hospital approvals were in place before claiming that they were.

Opposition infrastructure spokesman David Gibson said the Government should release the Queensland Health report. "You have to wonder, what have they got to hide?"

Queensland Health population health director Linda Selvey said the audit report would not be made public because it was "internal".

See - The Australian - 'Body tissue' risk in Queensland recycled water.


We can't show you the report says Qld Health because it's super super secret and it will make Qld Health and the QWC look like complete idiots ...

QWC and Qld Health recycled water fiasco ...

Which former Health Minister is now in charge of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy?

Waste-to-water audit withheld from councils

The Australian

Greg Roberts | April 08, 2009

Queensland Health failed to pass on the results of a departmental audit to local councils responsible for monitoring the discharge of hospital wastes before they were to be recycled as drinking water.

The Brisbane and Ipswich city councils were not told of the audit's findings when they become known to Queensland Health last November, three months before recycled effluent was to be added to southeast Queensland dams.

The plan was deferred in the face of community concerns about the safety of recycled water, but treated effluent will be added to dams when their levels fall to 40 per cent.

The Queensland Health audit found the necessary approvals were not in place or were faulty at four hospitals. The approvals were to ensure recycled water was not contaminated by the dumping in the sewer of hospital wastes such as blood and cancer drugs.

The Queensland Water Commission had repeatedly assured the public that all approvals were in order.

Ipswich Hospital, which held no approvals, applied for one in November but it has yet to be granted.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisale said an investigation by his council of possible waste-water sources at the hospital was under way.

"Queensland Health has not raised any concerns about trade waste approvals at the hospital," Mr Pisale said.

The audit identified deficiencies in the waste approvals held by three Brisbane hospitals.

A Brisbane City Council spokesman said Queensland Health had not raised concerns about the approvals.

Opposition infrastructure spokesman David Gibson called on the Government to release the audit report.

"Anna Bligh is always talking about the need for honest and accountable government but, put under pressure, she runs and hides," Mr Gibson said.

He said the Queensland Water Commission should be forced to explain why it misled the public about hospital waste approvals.

Queenslanders for Safe Water president Merilyn Haines said that given the public interest in recycled water, the report should be a public document.

Queensland Health population health director Linda Selvey said the report was "internal".

The Queensland Water Commission declined to comment on whether it established with the Brisbane and Ipswich councils that they had the necessary hospital waste approvals in place.

See - The Australian - Waste-to-water audit withheld from councils.

So Qld Health representative Linda Selvey thinks that the audit report is beyond FOI access?

Interesting ...

Recycled water concerns validated - Anna Bligh's SEQ recycled water Barrier 1 does NOT exist ...

Anna Bligh's recycled water project has been shown to be a farce.

The Queensland Water Commission have been shown to be, at best, completely incompetent and, at worst, grossly negligent.

For months, The Australian and the blogging world have known that Barrier 1 of Anna Bligh recycled water project - the barrier supposed to prevent hospital and trade waste entering the sewage system - is non-existent.

Anna Bligh and the QWC would show pretty slides which indicated that harmful hospital and trade waste could not enter the system.

Turns out it was just more Anna Bligh spin.

The Australian now reports that:

"An audit by Queensland Health has found deficiencies in the approvals for the disposal of wastes to the sewer in Brisbane's three biggest hospitals. A fourth, Ipswich Hospital, did not have an approval in place for its wastes."

Amazing given that the "Queensland Water Commission has repeatedly assured the public that all approvals were operating for the disposal of hospital wastes to the sewer".

Surely Anna Bligh wasn't planning to pump recycled water into Wivenhoe Dam without making sure that Barrier 1 existed?

Apparently so:

"The hospital approvals were faulty or non-existent at the time authorities planned to begin pumping recycled water to Brisbane's Wivenhoe Dam in February. The Government deferred the plan after The Australian reported concerns by microbiologists that the seven-stage screening process may not be adequate to prevent contamination."

Has Anna Bligh come clean now?

No - it's more coverups and secrecy from the Bligh administration:

"The Government refused to release the Queensland Health audit report yesterday."

Why would we be surprised.

At least someone within Qld Health was prepared to tell the truth:

"With recycled water on the way, this is the state of the management of hospital wastes. Nobody really knows what's being poured down the drains and it's not being monitored in any capacity."

Precisely.

See - The Australian - Checks deficient on hospital waste.

And this is what Anna Bligh's opponents have been saying all along:

Nobody really knows what's being poured down the drains and it's not being monitored in any capacity.

And yet still the Bligh government asks us to trust them on recycled water.

Recycled water will not be pumped into Wivenhoe Dam until combined 'dam levels' hit 40%. 

A better approach would be to eliminate potable reuse - it is clear that the Bligh government has no idea what is being put into the sewers - so better leave the recycled water well away from SEQ's drinking water supply ...

Anna Bligh recycled water shame - no checks on hospital waste ...

Hospital waste in southeast Queensland was to be recycled as drinking water without the necessary approvals in place to ensure the water was not contaminated.

An audit by Queensland Health has found deficiences in the approvals for the disposal of wastes to the sewer in Brisbane's three biggest hospitals. 

A fourth, Ipswich Hospital, did not have an approval in place for its wastes.

The Queensland Water Commission has repeatedly assured the public that all approvals were operating for the disposal of hospital wastes to the sewer.

The approvals were designed to ensure that contaminants such as blood and cancer chemicals were prevented from being added to the mix to be recycled as drinking water.

The hospital approvals were faulty or non-existent at the time authorities planned to begin pumping recycled water to Brisbane's Wivenhoe Dam in February. The Government deferred the plan after The Australian reported concerns by microbiologists that the seven-stage screening process may not be adequate to prevent contamination.

...

See - The Australian - Checks deficient on hospital waste.

SEQ recycled water - Nobody really knows what's being poured down the drains ...

Qld Health official - "With recycled water on the way, this is the state of the management of hospital wastes.  Nobody really knows what's being poured down the drains and it's not being monitored in any capacity."

See - The Australian - Checks deficient on hospital waste.

Trust us ...

BrisConnections - Macquarie offers small shareholders solution ...

You can almost hear Anna Bligh breathing a sigh of relief.

Macquarie's proposal - if the ASI resolutions are defeated, the underwriters won't pursue the shareholders for failing to pay the $1.00 April call.  They will however still forfeit their units.  

A 100% loss on their investment but no requirement to pay the $1.00 April instalment nor the next instalment.

It leaves Macquarie and Deutsche Bank (if they agree with this proposal) owning most of the units.

See - Courier Mail - BrisConnections investors get lucky break.

4350water blog - Brisbane dam levels at 50% ...

Toowoomba dam levels at 9.7% ....

... as at 3 April 2009.  Remember that's dam levels only and doesn't refer to bore and GAB water supplies.

See - Toowoomba Dam Levels.

For those searching ...

Toowoomba Regional Council - current water reuse schemes ...

Wetalla Water Reclamation Plant

• Millmerran Power (Wetalla WRP) - 1,000ML of Class C water per annum for power station supply. Possible future increase to 2,000ML per annum.

• New Wave Leathers (Wetalla WRP) - 400ML of Class D water per annum for tannery process water.

• New Acland Coal (Wetalla WRP + AWT) - 3,000ML of Class A+ water per annum for coal washing (with options for increases to 5,500ML). Supply to commence 1 July 2009.

Greenmount Service Centre

• Cambooya CED Effluent (via Wyreema) - Agricultural irrigation (55ML/a).

• Wyreema WRF Effluent (Loves Road) - Agricultural irrigation (100ML/a).

Crows Nest/Highfields Service Centre

• Crows Nest CED Effluent - Golf Course irrigation (153ML/a).

• Highfields WRF Effluent - Agricultural irrigation, sporting fields, construction (by tanker) (up to 123ML/a).

Oakey Service Centre

• Westbrook WRF Effluent - Agricultural irrigation (229ML/a).

Millmerran Service Centre

• Millmerran WRF Effluent - Golf Course/Agricultural irrigation (96ML/a).

Pittsworth Service Centre

• Pittsworth WRF Effluent - Golf Course/Public Open Space/Agricultural irrigation
(174ML/a).

Goombungee/Yarraman Service Centre

• Yarraman WRF Effluent - Dedicated effluent irrigation sites (99ML/a).

Crows Nest/Highfields Service Centre

• Highfields Dual Reticulation. Planning Scheme amended to require dual reticulation/ underground rainwater tanks in new developments. Proposal for Class A+ water to be supplied from membrane/UV plant at Brownes Road. Currently supplies Class A water for irrigation and sporting fields. Class A+ status not confirmed. [killed off]

Oakey Service Centre

• Council resolution requiring dual reticulation to be installed in new developments, but no amendment to Planning Scheme. As yet no means of providing Class A+ water. [killed off]

• Oakey Reverse Osmosis Plant - brine waste to New Acland Coal for reuse.

Pittsworth Service Centre

• Pittsworth Leagues Club. Currently under review.

See - Toowoomba Regional Council - Committee Meeting - 10 and 11 March 2009.

Kevin Rudd front and centre at the G20 dinner ...

Or not ...

SEQ water restrictions to ease ...

The Southeast Queensland dams which supply Brisbane and much of the region's urban area are half full.

The average capacity of the region's three major dams hit 50.017 per cent overnight, the state government said on Sunday morning.

Premier Anna Bligh is expected to announce an easing of water restrictions in the southeast later in the day.

Water consumption will be allowed to increase from a maximum usage of 170 litres per person per day to 200 litres per day.

The allowable half-hour per week of watering with a garden hose will be doubled.

See - Brisbane Times - Water restrictions to ease.

Toowoomba's GAB bores - the experience to date ...

Toowoomba Water Supply Emergency GAB Bores Project - Status Report

AUTHOR - Manager, Water Project Services (Greg Dinsey) - 27 February 2009

PURPOSE OF REPORT

To provide Council with an update on the status of the Toowoomba Water Supply Emergency GAB Bores Project.

ISSUES AND RESPONSES

1. Project Funding

In September 2007, Toowoomba City Council was advised of approved subsidy of up to $11,841,300 under the Urban Drought Water Program (UDWP) for the construction of emergency water supply bores into the Helidon Sandstone aquifer of the Great Artesian Basin as follows:

Eligible cost under UDWP $17,166,561
Less Council's contribution (10% TCC water revenue) $ 1,378,160
$15,788,401
State contribution under UDWP (75%) $11,842,300
Council funding under UDWP (25%) $ 3,947,101
Total Council funding required $ 5,325,261

This approval is subject to the establishment of test bores to confirm quantity and quality availability prior to drilling permanent infrastructure, as well as a requirement to work closely with Department of Natural Resources and Water (NR&W) Officers.

Following several meetings with NR&W Officers a strategy for the development of "Test Production Boreholes" was agreed.

2. Emergency GAB Bores - Hydrogeological Modelling

Australasian Groundwater and Environmental Pty Ltd (AGE) undertook numerical modelling of the impacts of sourcing 5,000ML per annum of GAB water from the Cooby Dam/Meringandan area. Their final report dated November 2007 concluded that the modelling results show no significant additional long term impacts on the Helidon Sandstone aquifer. The modelling showed that, during periods of extraction, some impacts can be expected in nearby areas to the borefield, however due to the elastic nature of the aquifer once the extraction is over, the water levels rapidly recover to a level just under the predicted level had the extraction not occurred. To minimise capital costs as well as operational and maintenance costs, the modelling investigation ended with a concentration of bores in the vicinity of Cooby Dam.

3. Bore Construction

Through a Services Agreement with Department of Natural Resources and Water (DNR&W), DNR&W acted as a contractor to Council for the construction of the first two "test production bores". These arrangements negated the need for Council to prepare documentation for the drilling and casing of test holes and production bores and the potentially time consuming tender/contract process. DNR&W's bore drilling, casing and cementing sub-contractor was Queensland Drilling Services Pty Ltd. The bores were constructed at the Leahy Road and Loveday Cove (East) sites in the period November 2007 to February 2008.

In May 2008, it was decided to proceed with the construction of up to an additional three bores. Council invited public tenders for this work in June 2008 and a contract was subsequently awarded to Queensland Drilling Services Pty Ltd mid-August 2008. Construction of the Loveday Cove (West) bore was commenced and completed in November 2008, the construction of the Pipeline Road bore was commenced in December 2008 and completed in January 2009. Due to a combination of factors including low dam levels, unpredictable rainfall patterns, contractor and materials availability, it was decided to proceed with the construction of the fifth bore. The Paton Road bore was commenced late January 2009 and completed late February 2009.

All five bores are of similar construction comprising 323mm cemented steel casing to the top of the Helidon Sandstone aquifer with 219mm slotted steel casing within the aquifer. Depths to the top of the aquifer (415m - 490m below ground level) and the thickness of the aquifer (75m - 90m) were in close agreement with the predictions of AGE Consultants hydrogeological modelling.

4. Test Pumping

A requirement of the UDWP subsidy funding was the confirmation of water quantity and quality. Following construction of the bores, the drilling contractor undertook air purging and air lifting of water from the bores to clean out and partially develop the bores. Water samples were taken during this operation with favourable water quality test results.

Test pumping of the first two bores (Leahy Road and Loveday Cove (East)) was arranged using the services of a local experienced contractor Australian Groundwater Services Pty Ltd. Test pumping was undertaken at the then anticipated production flow rate of 35L/s. A test pump (35L/s versus 420m head, 1,000 Volt 230 kW motor), suitable for later use as a production pump, was purchased from Tyco Pumping Systems (Southern Cross). A 100 hour pump test and recovery was undertaken at each bore as well as water sample testing for water quality and monitoring of water level drawdown at GAB bores adjacent to the test pumped bore.

Test pumping was undertaken in the period September to December 2008.

Test pumping results were analysed and reported on by AGE Consultants. The analysis confirmed the earlier numerical modelling of the borefield and enabled further modelling with parameters established from the test results. The analysis confirmed that pumping of the emergency GAB bores has the potential to adversely impact on the Reushle Road bore in the long term, with the recommendation of regular drawdown monitoring during times of production pumping. It is noted that modelling, and experience during the test pumping, indicates that the water levels rapidly recover following cessation of pumping.

It is planned to test pump either the Pipeline Road bore or Paton Road bore to confirm both water quantity and water quality (as a consequence of further development of the bore during the test pump). Air purging and air lifting of water from these bores following their construction indicates potentially different drawdown characteristics to the other bores.

5. Production Pumping

The test pump was left in the Loveday Cove (East) bore following the test pump of the bore with the intention of putting the bore into production using a diesel fuelled generator for power supply. Production pumping from the bore commenced early January 2009 and has continued uninterrupted, except for regular servicing of the generator, at a flow rate of 40L/s (3.45ML/day). Over 200ML has been pumped to date. The generator and fuel tank have been hired for an initial three month hire term.

Due to the high lift (at the Loveday Cove (East) site the static lift is over 340 metres), the power requirements are significant. Fuel consumption is in the order of 1,350 litres/day. The base cost, excluding monitoring and the transport of hired equipment, of pumping from the bore is $2,145 per day (or $15,000 per week). This equates to approximately $0.60 per KL of water pumped. Advice has been received from DNR&W and DLGP&R that these operational costs are subsidisable under the Urban Drought Water Program.

Ergon Energy has been requested to supply quotations for the provision of permanent power to each of the bore sites. Indicative Council contributions for power to the Pipeline Road site and Paton Road site are $170,000 and $185,000 respectively if both are done together, or $390,000 if one site only is done.

Because of the high cost of pumping and increasing confidence in the timely availability of water from Wivenhoe Dam to Cressbrook Dam, it is intended to review the current temporary pumping regime in consultation with DNR&W officers in the near future.

6. Water Quality

Testing of water samples taken during the drilling contractor's air purging and air lifting, and more importantly during the 100 hour test pumping, revealed that the water quality is similar from each bore and similar to the Reushle Road bore water which has been in production for some time. Typically the water has iron (2.80 - 4.0 mg/L), manganese (0.07 - 4.07 mg/L) and total dissolved solids (560 - 670 mg/L) which exceed the aesthetic guideline values of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.

7. Scheme Details

As the Toowoomba Water Supply Emergency GAB Bores Project has progressed, the ultimate scheme, should completion of the project be realised, has developed to the following components:

• continued pumping of the Reushle Road GAB bore water into the Leahy Road storage lagoons

• pumping of Leahy Road GAB bore water into the Leahy Road storage lagoons

• pumping of GAB bore water from the Leahy Road storage lagoons via a new pipeline that parallels the Cooby Pipeline to a location near the Pipeline Road GAB bore for discharge into a waterway that discharges to Cooby Dam

• pumping of Loveday Cove (East) GAB bore water via a short length of new pipeline directly into Cooby Dam via a rock riffle to aerate the water

• pumping of Loveday Cove (West) GAB bore water via a short length of new pipeline directly into Cooby Dam via a rock riffle to aerate the water

• pumping of Pipeline Road GAB bore water via a short length of new pipeline directly into Cooby Dam via a rock riffle to aerate the water

• pumping of Paton Road GAB bore water via a short length of new pipeline directly into Cooby Dam via a rock riffle to aerate the water

The above scheme results in all the GAB bore water being piped to Cooby Dam where natural processes within the lake will aid in the treatment of the water. The existing Cooby Dam pump installation has the capacity to deliver all the GAB bore water to the Mt Kynoch Water Treatment Plant.

Based on the results of the numerical modelling and the test pumping results to date, it is intended that extraction of 1,250ML/annum from each of the GAB bores will be targeted. This provides 5,000ML/annum production with four of the five bores operating on average throughout the year.

8. Project Expenditure

Project costs to date are:

Leahy Road bore - $1,404,725
Loveday Cove(East) bore - $1,108,416
Loveday Cove (West) bore  - $1,098,331
Pipeline Road bore - $1,326,495
Paton Road bore - $1,184,924
Other (test pumping, reports, etc) - $443,501
Total - $6,566,392

At this stage, only one test (production) pump and ancillary equipment (including switchboard /transformer, power and control/monitoring cables, riserless packer system) have been procured. As indicated above, permanent power to each of the sites (with upgrade of existing power to the Leahy Road site only envisaged) is likely to afford a better long-term financial benefit to Council than the use of diesel fuelled generators.

Forecast project costs are in the order of $7.0 million should the project not proceed to the next phase (refer Next Steps section below).

9. Next Steps

In January 2009, DNR&W and Council officers concluded that the decision to proceed with equipping the bores and bringing them into production could be deferred until May 2009. This conclusion was based on a number of contributory factors including the promise of the Wivenhoe - Cressbrook Pipeline being completed and commissioned by early 2010, the reasonably good outlook for increased useable dam storage levels from summer/autumn rainfall events and the fact that useable storage levels were similar to the storage levels at the same time in January 2008 as a result of the good rainfall experienced in December 2008.

Equipping the bores and bringing them into production could be achieved progressively within 4-5 months of a May 2009 decision to proceed.

With the completion of the construction of the bores, project activities and timelines are:

Test pumping of Pipeline Road and/or Paton Road bore - April 2009
Civil, electrical, mechanical design/documentation - April 2009
and subject to a decision to proceed to the next phase of the project (in May 2009):
Civil, electrical, mechanical design/documentation - September 2009
Power supplies - October 2009
Commissioning completion - October 2009
...

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

That Council note the status of the Toowoomba Water Supply Emergency GAB Bores Project as detailed in the report of the Manager, Project Services dated 27 February 2009 and, that decisions in relation to the progression of the project to bring the bores into full production mode will be made in consultation with the officers of the Department of Natural Resources and Water in accordance with the terms of the Urban Drought Water Program subsidy approval.

See - Toowoomba Regional Council - Committee Meeting - 10 and 11 March 2009.

Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan - we're in good hands ...

Kevin Rudd's food tantrum - Leahy's view ...

See - Leahy's cartoon.

Australians use less water but pay more ...

Australians are using less water but their bills are rising, new figures show.

Figures released today show that across Australia, the average annual amount of water supplied to urban households in the 12 months to June 30 was down 12 per cent on the previous year.

And conservation strategies, including restrictions, resulted in a 21 per cent drop in residential water use over the six years from 2002-03 to 2007-08, despite a nine per cent jump in connected properties.

But although Australians are collectively turning off their taps, urban water prices have risen steadily.

...

See - Sydney Morning Herald - Using less but paying more.

Anna Bligh 2008 State election - final count ...

Labor has secured 51 seats in the Queensland parliament at the end of official counting.

The four close-run seats of Gaven, Chatsworth, Cleveland and Redlands were decided today after recounts.

Liberal National Party candidates took three of these seats - Mark Robinson (Cleveland), Alex Douglas (Gaven) and Peter Dowling (Redlands) - while Labor's Steve Kilburn won Chatsworth.

The make-up of the parliament, which sits on April 21, will be Labor 51, Liberal National Party 34 and four independents.

Prior to the election and redistribution Labor held 58 seats, while the LNP held 25 and six MPs sat on the cross-benches.

Labor recorded 42.28 per cent of the primary vote - its lowest vote since 1998 when it took minority government with the support of independent Peter Wellington.

The LNP scored 41.57 per cent of the primary vote, with the Greens taking 8.37 per cent and independents 5.65 per cent.

...

See - Brisbane Times - Labor's final count: 51 MPs.

Anna Bligh's BrisConnections debacle - the latest ...

The sideshow has now closed in the brawl over the fate of Queensland's massive infrastructure build, BrisConnections, and the real combatants will be entering the ring. The renegade shareholder, Nicholas Bolton, has won the legal right to hold a shareholder meeting to vote on winding up BrisConnections. Now it's time for the big boys - Deutsche Bank, Macquarie Bank and the Queensland Government - to get top billing in this financial slugfest.

See - Sydney Morning Herald - Take your seats for the battle of BrisCon.

Last November, while day-trading, Bolton saw a bargain. He bought 47 million shares in BrisConnections for a mere one-tenth of a cent apiece. Total outlay $47,000. BrisConnections shares though were "partly-paid" shares, meaning there were two more $1 instalments to pay in coming months. Suddenly, his company Australian Style Investments, was up for $94 million.

See - Sydney Morning Herald - Danger money: turning a tollway into a train wreck.

Kevin Rudd throws a tantrum when RAAF forget his happy meal ...

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd reduced a young female RAAF cabin attendant to tears with a tirade over his missing "special" meal during a VIP flight.

Mr Rudd's bully behaviour appalled some senior Government officials who witnessed the dressing-down on the flight from Port Moresby to Canberra in late January.

See - Courier Mail - Kevin Rudd's rant over meal leaves cabin attendant in tears.

Australia's Prime Minister behaving like a 5 year old at McDonald's ...  wants a hot meal ... not a sandwich ... wants no red meat ... wants his fruit for dessert ...

Anna Bligh's Airport Link project causes problems - BrisConnections loses case ...

Nicholas Bolton's legal team has outfoxed the legal teams of BrisConnections and Anna Bligh's government to resist wind up attempts against his company and proceed with the unitholder meeting.

With Macquarie Bank buying up BrisConnections units, it seems unlikely that Bolton will succeed in passing a resolution to wind up BrisConnections but he has succeeded in giving their legal team and Anna Bligh's legal team bloody noses in the first round of this scrap.

Meanwhile, QIC has managed to turn a $30 million investment into $30,000. No prizes for guessing how QIC will vote at the unitholders meeting given who the BrisConnections chairman is. But the decision will be made independently by QIC because that's what they tell us.

4350water blog would bet the $30,000 that QIC's BrisConnections units are now worth that QIC falls into line with the BrisConnections chairman and votes against Bolton's resolutions ...

See - Courier Mail - Airport Link future in doubt after BrisConnections loses case.

See - Sydney Morning Herald - Rebel Bolton wins BrisCon claim.

Anna Bligh's Toowoomba water pipeline boosts local coffers ...

The Toowoomba water pipeline project in southern Queensland is providing a welcome boost for businesses in the Brisbane Valley.

It has also created about 40 local jobs.

They are currently working on the pipeline project, which will supply water from Wivenhoe Dam to Toowoomba.

Most are living at a temporary camp site in Esk which has its own catering service, but the manager of an Esk supermarket, James Granzine, says they are still getting plenty of business.

...

See - ABC News - Water pipeline bolsters Brisbane Valley coffers.

PM Kevin Rudd and his crude politics ...

The hubris of our philosophising PM in asking Australian diplomats to circulate his 7700-word homily in The Monthly to world leaders ahead of the G20 meeting in London this week is neither here nor there. 

Kevin Rudd’s biggest problem - one that a foreign audience will not appreciate - is that his attack on free markets is not about ideas at all. It’s crude politics, end of story.

...

See - The Australian - Hayek hatred a handy dog whistle.
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Dalby Regional Council rejects Arrow Energy pipeline proposal ...

WIN News:

Dalby Water

1 April 2009

Dalby Regional Council has rejected a multimillion dollar water project with Arrow Energy.

Council had been considering an eight million dollar water pipeline deal from Arrow Energy to Dalby's treatment plant, but it went over budget.

Council is now looking at sourcing water from underground bores.

It says it's concerned about the long term future of the region's water supplies.

Council is also negotiating with coal seam gas companies over use of its excess water.

See - WIN News - Dalby Water.